Fall of a Hero
by Jarrod Nichol
Summary: Ever wonder what happens to The Hero in Dragon Quest VIII, well you are about to find out.


**The fall of a Hero**

Sun, the almighty, everlasting ray of hope that seems to break through the thickest of sorrows. For Gogiru, even the sun can't take his mind off his sorrow. For too long has Gogiru remained in his current state of pain, but all of that is soon to end. On this fine sunny morning Gogiru slowly sits down by the bank of a most splendid lake. Looking into the water, he doesn't see the school of Lechons that star up at him. No, Gogiru is well beyond the point of caring. The Lechons, small blue-finned aquatic animals, stare up at Gogiru with confusing eyes. Never before have they seen a face so sad. The Lechons notice all the finer details of Gogiru, the details that no one seems to care about these days. Wearing thick black boots that have seen far better days, and a mixture of blue and orange pull-overs, Gogiru appears to be living in a daze. The Lechons move to and fro in the water, but still Gogiru doesn't twitch. He appears to be lost in some distant dream. What could be the cause of such delusion? Suddenly Gogiru takes off his red turban and places it next to his leg. Lying fully spread out by the water, the Lechons see that Gogiru is a truly old man. With long strands of gray hair spilled out on the bank of the lake, they see a withered face staring up at the sky. His skin is cracked and rough. His eyes show signs of great pain, yet at the same time, show something else. There is an unmistakable glow to them, a sign of accomplishment. Who is this man?

Gogiru takes a small handful of water and splashes it over his face. The Lechons, still mesmerized by him, don't move. He looks at the water and doesn't see anything but red locks where the ripples in the water should be. He sees beautiful pearl, glowing skin, instead of red muddy dirt. The Lechons can barely make out what he says as he closes his eyes for a second, "Jessica." As Gogiru opens his eyes, he is no longer looking at a beautiful lake, on a fine sunny day, but he's back there, back where he was someone, back when he meant something. Jessica was a fine looking woman, wearing a low cut purple shirt and a fine crimson skirt. She had a power about her, something Gogiru could never have. She was magical, in every sense of the word. Her sheer grace and charm was unlike anything he had ever seen. To him, she was a goddess. She wasn't alone however; there were many people that were special to Gogiru. Sights of a green monster started to appear in his eyes. King Trode, how could he ever forget the beloved king? Never before had he met such a powerful man, someone to look up to, someone to be proud of. King Trode had taught him so many useful skills in his lifetime. Oh, where was the king now? Where was his beloved Jessica? Time seems to have a way of getting the better of people and Gogiru was no different.

For a moment Gogiru caught glimpses of great battles with creatures of all shapes and sizes. Giant beats that looked like they had come from a comic book artist's imagination were swirling around in his head. Small globs of blue slime were gathering all around him, Jessica shout out a beam of light and they all vanished before him. Oh, those were the days. Fighting alongside his allies for a cause as important as any, to save the king, the world, everyone. Where had these days gone off to? Was the world safe? Had he and his friends done what they needed to do? Old age can sour the mind and Gogiru couldn't help but feel somewhat sorry for the people he knew he couldn't have saved. They must have been successful for he is still here, right? He pondered for a moment or two but then his mind slipped away again, thinking of the lush beautiful greens and browns that he had been walking through many years earlier. Oh, those were the days indeed.

He remembered walking alongside his friends in some of the most beautiful locations he had ever seen. Suddenly, dark, disgusting places seemed to jump around in his head. He must have been there too. Places of the darkest colors, slime everywhere, places of pure disgust. His body shivered as the Lechons looked on. He was taken back to the vast forests, the great mountainsides, the towns of good cheer. He and his friends, walking alongside a dark path one night, in the middle of nowhere, all sat down to talk by a fireside. Could it be, the Lechons thought. They witnessed something that no one had seen in a terribly long time, Gogiru broke out into a smile. As Gogiru smiled, the Lechons noticed that flare he had in his eyes, suddenly flicker.

A small drop of water fell from his leant over face. Gogiru had repositioned himself to look over the water, for one last time. As the drop fell, so to did his body. As the water touched the surface of the lake, his body fell back into the mud. The Lechons had witness events like this before. They knew that his life force had been extinguished. They had never seen such a large smile before, what could he have been thinking of before he left for the great plain? This was something the Lechons would never know.

They swam away downstream to a small break in the large lake. They kept on going for an hour or two before they came to a clearing. Unlike where they were with Gogiru, this place was actually open and full of people. Not secluded, not sheltered, here there was life. The water was actually shadowed in gold. As they passed through the soulful waters, one of the Lechons looked up out of the water and witnessed the cause of this golden shadow. Standing in front of the lakeside was a gigantic golden statue. The statue looked remarkably like Gogiru. As the Lechons all swam away, two people stood in front of the statue. There was a mother and her child, looking at the statue in great delight. The mother spoke the words:

"Gogiru, savoir of our world and the greatest warrior that ever lived. Accompanied by his closest friends, they put an end to evil and tyranny the world over. Never forget these wonderful people, for without them, there would be no today."

Somewhere, somehow, Gogiru knew he had accomplished his mission. He could finally rest easy, with the kings of the sky. Gogiru was now about to embark on the greatest quest of all. Forever would the world know him and his friends, for they alone saved everyone. His name would be written in books, sang in choirs and spoken about over late night fires, for all time. And so ends the life of the greatest hero the world had ever known, not in a daring and historic manner, but in one that would best suit Gogiru, a peaceful death, thinking about his friends during their great quest.


End file.
